


Cruel Cures

by EmotionalRobotics



Series: Cruel Cures [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Blood and Gore, Brainwashing, Character Death, Corruption, Dark Fantasy, Explicit Sexual Content, Extremely Dubious Consent, Gay Male Character, Gun Violence, Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, M/M, Male Slash, Manipulation, Memory Alteration, Mental Instability, Older Man/Younger Man, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sadism, Smoking, Spoilers Begin Here, Tags Contain Spoilers, Temporary Character Death, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-27 19:08:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30127491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmotionalRobotics/pseuds/EmotionalRobotics
Summary: Dionysus Chesser, wracked with guilt over his friend Alain's accident, wrestles with his feelings for him as he tries to hide the consequences of his actions and right the wrongs that he feels responsible for.
Series: Cruel Cures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2217264
Kudos: 1





	1. Dark Alleys

Visions of death, the stench of blood, and a maddening sense of helplessness. That was what greeted Dionysus whenever he forced himself to sleep.

It would always begin with a trio of heavily armed men chasing him down a narrow alleyway in the dead of night. Though the cold winter rain didn't quite reach them here, what few drops had fallen between the buildings had pooled on the concrete beneath his feet, drops shedding from his boots with each step as he tightened his grip on the slender hand clasped in his own. He could feel a dull burning in his lungs as he nearly dragged his companion behind him, darting around the debris that littered their path as he tried to focus on their escape route.

The exit wasn't too far away now. If they could just make it there, they might have a chance.

He'd hear a yelp, glancing back to see Alain stumble, his foot dragging against a bag of trash as he struggled to keep pace with him. The young man's glasses were askew, his curly blond hair dotted with raindrops and tinted a dark red from a wound on the side of his head. He was attempting to put up a brave front, but the look in his eyes was of a young fawn that knew the wolves were closing in on him, fully aware that the beasts were eager to tear him apart the moment he was in reach. His friend tore his gaze away long enough to look over his shoulder, barely holding back tears when he saw how quickly their pursuers were closing in, trying to ignore the leader's laughter as it echoed through the small space.

The men were all easily within range to shoot either of them and quickly end the chase. Their leader was toying with them, hunting them for his own amusement. But the man's sadism could allow them a chance to escape.

"Just a bit further," Dionysus gasped out, shifting his gaze back towards the path in front of them for a moment as he tightened his hold on his hand, "keep running, I've got a plan." He smiled slightly when he saw his friend nod, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before he turned a corner, pulling him close behind. His steps faltered when he saw another heavily armed squad blocking their only exit a few dozen feet away, his heart pounding in his chest as his eyes darted around the dark passageway.

He needed another idea, it would be impossible to fight their way past these guards...

His gaze settled on the wall to his right, examining it for a moment as he let go of the younger man's hand. He gently pushed him towards the corner as he stepped backwards, facing the leader and shielding Alain with his body as the two groups converged on them.

The wall behind them was only about eight or nine feet high. If they were lucky, he could give him a boost to the other side and still leave himself with enough time to open a gate to escape as well. But he had to act fast.

He could never move quickly enough. A gunshot would ring out the moment he looked away from their pursuers, his shoulder jerking backwards as a sudden stinging sensation pierced it. A near-blistering heat pulsed through the muscle, his heart pounding harder as he instinctively clutched at it. He could feel blood seeping through his gloves as the burning grew more intense.

The leader had shot him. He'd been expecting it to happen, but it still hurt regardless.

He gritted his teeth, pressing down harder on the wound as he glanced back towards his companion. Alain's normally narrowed eyes were wide with horror, tears streaking down his blood-spattered cheek as he stared up at him. The young man stifled a sob, soon choking back bile as his hands quickly covered his mouth, his body trembling against him as his breathing grew shallower.

He couldn't let him panic. The moment he started panicking was the moment they would both die.

"It's alright, Allie," he'd say, forcing a smile as he tried his best to ignore the pain, "just stay calm, okay? We'll both make it out of here."

He was lying, as he always did when he saw his friend stare up at him with that traumatized look in his eyes. But what else could he do when the only alternative was to tell him to beg their pursuers to make their deaths quick and painless? If he'd heal his wounds he wouldn't bleed out, but he'd only be delaying the inevitable; he'd be too exhausted to help him escape, and the two of them would die together. He barely had enough power to pull Alain through a gate to safety, but he'd never tried that with another person before. Even if it worked, he could only hope that Garret was home and prepared to help them.

"I'd stay still if you don't want another hole in you," the squad leader sneered, cavalierly waving his pistol around as he strode towards the two of them, "there's no point in trying to run, Chesser. Just give us the little rat and we'll let you go."

"Never," Dionysus shouted, reaching back to push Alain further against the wall as he glared up at him, "I'd sooner die than let you lay a hand on him!"

Their pursuer smirked, pointing the weapon towards the center of his chest, "let's see what he thinks about that, shall we?" He steadied it with his free hand, his finger hovering over the trigger as he raised his voice, "what do you say, _Allie_? Do you really want to see your friend die because you're too much of a little bitch to give yourself up?"

"No," the blond cried out behind him, his grip loosening on the back of his coat as his body trembled against him, "please don't shoot! I'll go!"

He wanted to say that the man was lying. That he would just kill them both regardless of what Alain tried to do. But no words would form when he tried to speak, his throat tightening with dread as the young man suddenly tried to duck beneath his arm.

Alain struggled in his hold as he pulled him against his chest, his grip only tightening when he tried to pull away, the blond choking back a sob as he shouted, "Let me go! I can't let you die too!"

"You're not dying tonight," he replied, gritting his teeth as another jolt of pain shot through his body, feeling his friend's hand push against his wound as he tried to break free. He tightened his hold on him, nearly crushing him against his chest as he gathered the last of his strength, "just trust me."

He shielded Alain with his body as he forced a gate open behind him, shoving his companion backwards into the plume of smoke. He heard a loud crack sound through the alley before he could step through, a wave of white-hot pain flooding his body as everything went dark.

The last sound that he always heard before he woke up, without fail, was Alain screaming his name.

\---------♚---------

Regardless of how much he drank or how long he slept, and no matter how vivid it was or how much awareness he had that it was only a nightmare, the best outcome was always closest to what had actually happened that night.

The squad leader would shoot, and he would be struck in the shoulder. Alain would try to sacrifice himself. He would open a gate to help him escape. And he would lose consciousness before he made it through as well.

Alain had still been unresponsive when he awoke two days later. Garret had told him he'd already fallen unconscious when the two of them had landed in his home, and his only choice had been to monitor him and make sure that his body still functioned normally. He was still breathing, his heart was still beating. But he just wouldn't wake up.

He'd thought that it could have been a curse at first, but none of the signs were there. There seemed to be nothing wrong with him physically, and there was no way to know if it was a mental problem. The only answer that he could think of was that something had gone wrong between opening the gate and landing at his mentor's house, but he wouldn't know what it was without research...

For now, he had to try the simplest solutions and hope that they worked.

Dionysus's first attempts to wake him had been harmless, always with his mentor's approval: he had tried splashing cold water on his face, tried to make him sneeze, mixed spicy or bitter things into his daily food, burned incense that he knew Alain hated.

But after those had been unsuccessful and nearly a week had passed, he began to fear the worst. He tried pinching his cheek, hoping that pain would rouse him. He debated sticking his hand in warm water, but that would only cause more problems. He even tried covering his mouth and nose for a few seconds, hoping that the lack of air would cause his body to force him awake. But no matter what he did, the only movement was the blond's chest slowly rising and falling as he slept.

A doctor arrived the next day, an old friend that Garret had called to figure out what was wrong with Alain. The man had examined him and said that all anyone could do was keep him fed and breathing, and to stimulate his muscles to keep them from atrophying. That Alain would wake up on his own, if he would wake up at all.

Dionysus got into an argument with his mentor that night, after hours of drinking. They'd been discussing what the doctor had told them, and the older man said much of the same, that there was no spell that he knew of that could wake Alain before he was ready. But his next words were unexpectedly callous: he suggested that he should bring the young man to a sanatorium, to let them try to take care of him as he searched for Flynn Bishop. Because, in his words, if he was suffering from a curse that they'd somehow overlooked, Alain's boyfriend would have more luck breaking it; love was one of the greatest curse-breakers there was, and it wasn't like either of them cared about the guy as much as Flynn did.

  
He couldn't recall the rest of his mentor's words, but he could still remember his own actions clearly months later. He'd just been so frustrated by what he was saying... he'd only realized what he had almost done when the older man caught his arm just inches from his face.

He gave up alcohol after that.

He'd brought him back to his home in the amusement park the next morning despite Garret's concern, watching over him in a spare room of the castle. He furnished the barren guest room after the first couple of days, bringing him small gifts at first; a large plush cat, a prize from one of the nearby stalls, a potted plant, before moving onto larger items like softer sheets, sweaters and other clothes, countless books... whatever he could think of to make him as comfortable as possible when he eventually woke up.

It soon became a daily ritual for him; he would come home from work with a bouquet for the vase by his bed or another book, check the equipment before feeding him liquid food through a tube, and he would either sit beside the younger man and read to him, tell him about his day as he ate by his bedside, or even just chat absentmindedly as he brushed Alain's hair to keep it from tangling. It was admittedly naïve of him, but he had hoped that his voice would eventually bring his friend back.

But after trying for so long, he worried that Alain would never wake up.

It had been somewhere along the two-month mark when he devoted his remaining free time to research. He'd passed off his usual work managing the park to his secretary, spending any time away from Alain at the library, poring over various texts in search of a spell that could wake his friend. After a couple more weeks he brought back any books that he could check out, and he spent any time outside of his daily routine researching different spells, hoping to find something, _anything_ , that could help at this point.

He eventually discovered a spell that could restore a person's consciousness to their empty shell. It was in a book of old summoning rituals, but he wasn't sure of its origin and he was hesitant to attempt it because of how unpredictable the text reported it to be. The author claimed it had been created as a cure for a sleeping curse where the victim's lover was dead, which would suit his needs perfectly. If he were to succeed, Alain's soul would be tethered to a location while still inhabiting his body; considering that was what was being affected by whatever was wrong with him, it could be a reasonable workaround to bring him back.

He could carry out the ritual in one of the buildings directly above the ley line and add amplifiers around the grounds to boost the range he could travel to maybe a mile radius at most, but... it would still constrain him within the boundaries of the park.

And there was no guarantee that Alain would even return exactly how he'd known him. He could be restored with no memories of the time the two of them had spent together, he could be reverted to the mentality of a toddler, or he could lose entire pieces of his personality altogether... any of those possibilities could become their new reality, regardless of talent or diligence. As frightening as those thoughts were, however, a future without his beloved in it was not one that he could endure.

Dionysus had eventually broken down on a miserably cold night in the middle of spring, his eyes still stinging with tears as he stared down at the ingredients for the ritual spread across the table. A half-smoked cigarette dangled between his fingers as he leaned against the windowsill beside him, his free hand resting against his cheek as his gaze dragged towards the glass. He watched the rain pound against the half-opened window as he attempted to drown out the deafening static in his head, the dull ache in his throat burning with each breath he took.

He could barely see his reflection, but from what parts were visible it looked as awful as he felt. His straight black hair was disheveled, sticking up in odd directions and plastering itself to the back of his ears where it had dried too closely. His hazel eyes were tinged with red, his face streaked with tears down to his jawline. He dragged a hand against it, frowning as he felt the rough stubble catch on his leather glove, lifting the cigarette to his lips and taking another long breath before he blew the smoke through the gap, watching it escape into the night.

A hoarse sigh eventually forced itself from his throat as he pressed the cigarette onto the sill, staring at the embers as they began to mark the unvarnished wood beneath it, letting it burn as his blurry gaze struggled to focus. He'd eventually grind it into the surface, stubbing it out as he glanced back towards his companion, soon turning and shoving aside an empty beer bottle with his boot as he staggered towards the bed.

He'd moved all of Alain's belongings to the vacant building last week, but it had taken one last push for him to commit to this choice. After forcing himself to stay awake for six days hoping to avoid another nightmare, he'd been punished with the worst outcome yet. Instead of trying to give himself up to the men as he usually did, Alain had begged Dionysus to kill him. Hearing the desperation in his companion's voice as he pleaded for him to end his life had been more than enough to drive him to this decision.

He couldn't bear to hear him say those words again. He had to save Alain now, to make these nightmares finally end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of Cruel Cures! This is the first piece of writing I've ever posted online and I'm super excited to share it! The full story will probably be pretty long, I have about 80k words so far with a few more chapters that still need to be written, but I'm excited to see how it goes!


	2. Undying Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dionysus decides to carry out a ritual called the Maiden's Awakening in an attempt to wake Alain. Will it work, and will his friend keep his memories of him?

The flickering candles Dionysus had scattered throughout the room cast a warm glow across Allie's face, his hair tinged a deeper gold as it rested on the silk pillowcase beneath him. The thick quilted blanket rose and fell with each slow breath, the chain of his necklace twinkling against his porcelain skin as it poked out from below the collar of his thin blue shirt.

If he had only ever seen him like this before, he would have sworn that he was an angel or a doll, something too beautiful to survive in this world amongst the trash of society. He was pessimistic, sarcastic, and irritatingly stubborn, yes, but he was _real._ And despite these flaws, there was nobody that he would rather spend the rest of his life with. He knew that the feelings he'd harbored for him were real, despite what his mentor had insinuated that night.

Love was the cure, wasn't that always the case with the strongest curses? If he kissed Allie on the lips and he woke up, that would prove to everyone that his feelings for him were genuine. But if that wasn't the case, then his darkest fears would be realized... he wasn't certain if he could cope with that knowledge.

Dionysus knelt down beside the mattress, gently brushing the younger man's hair from his face as he watched him sleep. He looked so at peace, completely at odds with the version that would cry and scream in his nightmares... part of him wished he could join him, to sleep forever at his side. But he was intent on seeing this through to the end.

"I'm finally going to wake you tonight, my dear," he eventually whispered, pressing a hand to the blond's chest to feel his heartbeat, "I swear, I'll save you." He closed his eyes, resting his head against his companion's for a few moments as he tried to calm himself, leaning to kiss his forehead before he continued, "no matter how you return to me, your suffering will finally end."

He knew Flynn would never agree with this decision, assuming he was even still alive. He had to be, though; the man was crude and reckless, but he was clever, and as resilient as a roach. It was one of his most irritatingly admirable traits: the entire world could be destroyed, and he would probably still find a way to survive somehow. So the fact that he hadn't bothered to try contacting him even _once_ since that day had only solidified the fact that Flynn had never truly loved Alain to begin with.

It was this thought that led to worse conclusions as he prepared the drawn portion of the ritual. That the man had only been using Allie for his own desires. Grooming him to suit his cause. Treating him like a new toy to abandon the moment something better came along. To be stolen back like a possessive child when his other plans all fell through, regardless if somebody else had already found it and began treating it with the care that it deserved.

If Bishop ever dared to return one day, he would show him no mercy. He had ensured that outcome with his own inaction.

Dionysus had sobered up somewhat by the time the last preparations were complete. He drew sigils on the walls of the small building to protect the two of them from any interference, grabbing the spellbook and turning toward the circle drawn around the bed in the center of the room, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He flipped through the pages, focusing on the texture of the paper beneath his fingers as his breaths slowed, hoping to calm the pounding in his chest as his anger and uncertainty soon gave way to excitement. He was finally going to speak to his dear Alain again.

He eventually turned to the incantation, glancing towards the young man for a moment before he took a step forward, his tail swaying as he began the ritual.

He devoted every part of his consciousness that wasn't focused on reciting the incantation to thoughts of Allie; every laugh, every smile, every moment they shared... he may have skimmed over his moodiness and the less pleasant memories of him, and his mind had briefly drifted to thoughts of how the young man might have acted when he was younger, but he quickly corrected himself and focused on recalling everything as he poured his heart into his efforts to restore his companion to his former self.

Dionysus had almost cried in relief when the young man slowly stirred once the ritual was completed, kneeling by his side and clasping his hand in his own as he whispered, "Welcome back to the world of the living, Allie." He nearly grinned at him, brushing a loose curl away from his eyes, "you have no idea how long I've waited to speak to you again."

Alain weakly squeezed his hand in return, nuzzling into the pillow for a few moments and stifling a groan as he forced himself to open his eyes. He stared up at him, his large brown eyes narrowing slightly in concern as he asked, "Are you okay? You look like you've been crying." He frowned, noticing that his words had come out in a broken whisper, carefully sitting up with Dionysus's help, "everything aches..."

"That's what happens when you've been asleep for four months," Dionysus whispered back, his smile softening as he held a glass of water up to the blond's lips. He slowly tipped it forward to help him drink it, his free hand curling through his hair, "and I'm alright Alain, I promise. You're safe now, that's the only thing that matters to me."

He carefully set the cup down on the small table beside him, grabbing the blond's glasses and tilting his chin up to slide them on for him, "please sit still and let me care for you, dear. You shouldn't try to move much, your body is still weak."

"Okay," Alain whispered, sitting still and swallowing a bit uncomfortably before he carefully reached up to rub his throat. He slowly propped himself up on the pillows behind him with his help, blushing slightly when Dionysus held his hand once more, "I... thank you for caring for me, Dion. It must not have been easy."

"It was my pleasure," he replied, gently fluffing his hair as he sat beside him on the edge of the bed, "I would do it again without hesitation, Alain. Seeing you awake and speaking again was more than worth the effort."

The blond's blush deepened as he gently squeezed his hand tighter, his gaze darting between his eyes and the blanket at his lap before a demure smile spread across his face. Eventually he looked up at him once again, his face tinged a faint red in the candlelight as he quietly admitted, "you know, I-I think I remember hearing your voice. It was so dark and cold where I was, but whenever I heard you speak, I... I felt like you were right beside me."

"I was," he murmured, pushing his bangs away from his eyes as his smile softened, "I sat beside you every day and did everything that I could to help you awaken." He carefully lifted the younger man's hand in his own, brushing his lips against his knuckles as he gazed up into his eyes, "and no matter what may happen next, I vow that no harm will ever come to you again. The rest of your long, comfortable life will be filled with nothing but happiness."

The blond's cheeks turned a deep pink at his sudden declaration, his hand shaking faintly as he looked into his eyes, "Only... o-only if yours is as well, Dion. I want you to be happy, too."

"And I shall be," he agreed, gently squeezing his hand once more before he carefully placed it on Allie's lap. His smile softened as he reached up to fix the blond's messy curls, eventually brushing his fingers against his cheek, "so long as you do your best to be happy every day, I will always have a reason to smile." He leaned up to kiss his forehead, whispering a protective charm before he pulled back enough to look at his companion, his tail swaying contentedly behind him as he eventually asked, "Now, Allie... would you mind answering a few questions for me? I'd like to be sure that there were no long-term effects from you sleeping for as long as you had."

"Of course," the younger man agreed, his face still flushed as he smiled up to him. He cautiously grabbed the glass of water, taking a small sip as he examined the room, soon noticing the black cat plush beside the bed and pulling it against his chest as he waited for the man's questions.

"Alright, first I'll ask you the basic ones," Dionysus purred, stepping away just far enough to drag a chair towards the bed. He sat beside him, retrieving a clipboard and pen from the bedside table before he asked, "what is your full name, age, and birthday?"

"Oh, that's easy," the blond said, his hand trembling slightly as he placed the cup back onto the table. He smiled up to him, resting the toy on his lap, "My name is Alain Ethan Barnett, but my friends call me Allie or Ethan. I'm nineteen years old, and my birthday is February 28th."

"Nineteen years old?" the older man repeated, his smile fading slightly. He willed it back into place, taking a few quick notes, "well, I suppose that matches up with your appearance."

They were both the same age as his parents had been when they'd met. It was practically a sign: the young man was exactly his type, their ages matched up perfectly, and he even looked somewhat similar to her. He could have the happy ending that his parents never got--

No, he couldn't think of it that way. He was his own person. They _both_ were, and aside from that, his friend was in a vulnerable position. It was wrong to push that sort of expectation on him.

He had to let things progress organically if he wanted a relationship with Allie.

Aside from his immediate thought, though, the blond's answer was a bit concerning. How much would he remember about their journey together? Allie recalled the nickname that he'd call him, sure, but would he remember how they met? Their first night camping together? Would the blond remember the time he'd cared for him after he'd fallen ill? Or when he'd nearly kissed him the night before he collapsed?

Would he remember Bishop, and would he want to remain faithful to him, hoping the man would someday return for him?

He took a deep breath to calm himself, seeing the young man's look of concern and forcing his smile to widen as he sat up straighter, "Alright, now for the next few questions. What is my name, what country are we in, and what is the last memory that you can recall?"

Alain gently squeezed the toy, looking up to him and smiling a bit as he murmured, "Your name is Dionysus Chesser, but I call you Dion. And we're in... um..." The blond faltered for a few moments, thinking for a bit before he continued, "we're probably at your place. Chesser's Wonderpark, right?"

He nodded, the young man's smile widening before he continued, "we're in Audalia then. And my last memory was..." He looked down towards the toy, his smile fading and soon dropping completely as he petted it, "it's of the attack in the kingdom of Adrye. We'd gotten separated from our friend, I-I can't remember his name, and they cornered us, I was bleeding a-and you were hurt pretty badly too. I heard you shouting and then... everything went dark."

"That sounds about right," Dionysus replied, his grip tightening on the pen as he struggled to resist the urge to hug the blond, "do you remember why they attacked us, and who had done it?"

"The queen," Alain replied almost immediately, his hands trembling faintly as he hugged the toy to his chest, "she wanted something from us, and our friend had it." He began to tear up, burying his face into the stuffed animal's fur as he tried to keep himself from crying, taking a shaky breath before he went on, "and once we got separated, the leader of the squad that was chasing us wanted to... t-to kill me. He said that I knew too much. There was so much blood..."

Dionysus nodded, smoothing his hair to comfort him, "That's enough, you don't have to tell me any more." He reached out to hug him, feeling his cheeks flush when the young man wrapped his arms around him in return and cried into his shoulder, holding him tightly and whispering against his ear, "your journey is finally over, my dear. You'll be safe here, now and forever."

He pulled back just enough to look down towards his companion once his sobs quieted, gently smoothing his hair from his face as he asked, "Will you be able to answer a few math questions for me? I think we could both use a break from the memory questions."

"I can do that," the young man agreed, managing a smile after a few moments as a soft pink tint spread across his cheeks, "thank you, Dion. For making me feel better, and... and for everything."

"Anything for you," he murmured, his own smile softening. He gently brushed away his tears, fluffing his hair before he pulled away to prepare the clipboard and sheet of math problems for him, "would you like something to eat, Allie? Only soft foods for now, I don't believe your stomach could handle much more."

The blond nodded, hugging his toy close as he said, "I could eat." He blushed when the older man pet his hair again, hesitantly leaning into his touch as he glanced up into his eyes, "can we eat together? I-if you're hungry, I mean..."

"As I said," Dionysus teased, leaning down to kiss his forehead and chuckling at the young blond's flustered expression, "anything for you, my dear. Please shout if you need anything, I'll be back in a few minutes."

\---------♚---------

After the checklist was complete, he cleaned the room, removing all traces of the ritual and lifting the seal on the area. His thoughts were a bit disorganized, but his overwhelming relief overrode any concerns he may have had in that moment. His beloved had returned no worse for wear, and though Allie believed he was about five years younger than his correct age, he'd miraculously kept most of his memories of him. He'd kept some vague memories of Bishop as well, but Allie admitted he could remember neither his face nor his voice, and he had no positive attachment to the man.

Though that admittedly left one colossal problem: with no memory of Bishop, there was no simple way for him to ask Allie to watch out for him if the man ever resurfaced. That wasn't much of an issue provided he could hire enough guards, so he would have no reason to worry once the right preparations were in place.

Dionysus had persuaded him to forget about his mission for now, telling him it would be best to lie low for a few months until the queen was no longer searching for them. They agreed that he would introduce himself as Elery Brooks, and that only people that he absolutely trusted could ever know his true name.

He needed to come up with a more concrete solution later, but at least that would give him time to figure out how to convince him to abandon the idea entirely. If Allie had no desire to leave, and nobody ever realized who he was, he would never have to justify the lengths that he went to in order to bring his angel back.

He was prepared to take that secret to the grave, if fate allowed it.

Besides, the entirety of his soul already belonged to Allie; what was the harm in transferring a portion of it to him, so long as it meant that his beloved would live again? It was a small sacrifice to make if it would allow the two of them to have a life together.

He was nothing if not a man of his word, after all. He truly _would_ do anything for his angel.


	3. Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dionysus tries to ensure that Alain will be protected when he's eventually able to go outside

The nightmares still hadn't stopped, even after he'd brought Alain back.

Dionysus had tried everything that he could think of outside of depending on medicines or spells for relief, but even sleeping on the floor in Allie's room hadn't been enough to bring an end to them. He'd woken in his arms on the fifth night, the blond sitting on the floor beside him and nearly crying in relief as he hugged him; apparently he'd been screaming in his sleep, and it had taken a few minutes for him to wake. He couldn't remember the nightmare he'd had, but it was for the best.

He had no choice but to start taking sleeping pills after that, he couldn't have his companion worrying about him. So at the expense of losing the ability to dream entirely, he could at least rest properly now. But it was only a temporary solution. At some point the pills would stop working as intended, and he could only hope that the nightmares would cease by then.

There was no guarantee if they would, of course, but he could only hope. If there wasn't hope, then what else was there? To sit by and accept it? Impossible, he had to find some way to make these horrible visions finally end. The quiet moments he shared with his angel this past week had dulled his fears, but the moment he closed his eyes he'd feel the terror and futility of the past four months flooding back, overwhelming him.

This hope, and this medicine, were the only things that could help him.

And why wouldn't he have hope? Things were going well, Alain was _safe._ Ever since he'd awoken he'd been nothing but kind, sweet, polite, and very appreciative of every slight gesture he did for him. It was a surprising change, but it wasn't an unwelcome one. He was just happy to have him back.

And sure, Allie had never made a move on him in the week that passed, but what was he expecting? The blond had just barely been able to get out of bed and walk around on his own in the past couple of days, and he needed to have a maid, usually Julia, help dress him every day. He was certainly not about to throw himself at him and start begging to be bedded immediately.

No, that sort of relationship would take time and patience to cultivate.

For now, he was intent on developing a routine for his companion. It would help them both to adjust. His day would start around eight in the morning, when he'd call down for breakfast and bring it to Allie's room. Next would come the blond's physical therapy in his suite while he worked, followed by lunch at noon and leisure time before his last break at three. His work ended at about five in the afternoon, which would leave a few hours to spend time together before they ate dinner at eight.

Teatime was quickly adopted as part of their daily routine as well: the two of them would sit and chat in his office during his final break, and Allie would stay and read until his work was complete.

Dionysus knew that this arrangement wouldn't last once his beloved was well again. That the young man would tire of staying confined to these four rooms before long, and he would want to explore the rest of the park as soon as he regained his strength. But he was enjoying their time together now. Sure, he would change a few things, but it would all come in time. He was certain of that.

He'd just brought his angel into his office, the young man seated in a plush lounge chair opposite him as he relaxed on the couch.

Alain was sitting upright with a gold-rimmed porcelain teacup cradled in his hands, his hair carefully gathered into a loose ponytail that draped over the shoulder of the long cream-colored sweater he was wearing, decorated with a dark blue ribbon tied into a neat bow. A pair of pale blue silk shorts poked out from beneath the hem, his slender legs covered by white wool stockings that nearly reached his knees.

He would have never worn those kinds of clothes before the accident. He'd protested whenever someone so much as insinuated that he was younger than he actually was, let alone when somebody tried to convince him to wear something that could make him appear that way. But now he was much more amenable, agreeing to wear whatever was shown to him and never appearing uncomfortable when it was outside of his usual style.

To be honest, he was very pleased with this change; his original clothes had always given the impression that he was trying too hard to look like an adult, but his beauty was better suited to a youthful or more feminine style of dress. He already looked like a doll after all, he may as well dress the part. 

And he adored how these new clothes flattered Allie. The sweater had been created with his measurements in mind, the fabric cinching at the waist and flaring out just enough at the hips to allow for full movement. And his shorts fit him perfectly as well, just snugly enough to keep them from riding up, yet just loosely enough to leave something to the imagination.

It was admittedly difficult to keep himself from staring, and he knew that other men would have the same problem. However, they wouldn't respect Allie as he did. They would leer at him, catcall him. They may even be aggressive towards him. He needed to ensure that his beloved would be safe.

And of course, he had a plan to ensure that everyone knew his companion was under his protection. So long as he could convince the young man to agree, nobody would try to harm him. Well, nobody that was smart enough to stay away, at least.

The time was right, he'd already prepared everything that was needed. He only needed to implement it.

"I have a question to ask you," Dionysus said after a moment, his gaze focused on the book in his hands. He turned the page, smiling faintly when he saw the blond look up from the edge of his vision, "it may seem unnecessary, but... would you agree to have me become your guardian?"

"I... I don't see why not," his companion replied, blushing slightly as he looked up to him. He smiled, sitting upright as he let the cup and saucer rest on his lap, "you're already caring for me, and that's what guardians do, right?"

"And I promise to continue to take excellent care of you regardless of your decision, Allie," he agreed, glancing up to him as the corner of his lips pulled back into a slight smirk, "but I don't believe I'd ever told you quite what that entails here. Are you certain you'd like to agree without knowing what you're approving?"

Alain fell silent for a few moments, staring down at the deep brown liquid in the cup, his pale pink lips settling into a pout. He eventually nodded, setting the cup down on the table, "Yes, I am. I trust you, Dion, a-and I know that whatever it is, it could never be bad."

"Then in that case... come here, please," he said after a moment, watching the young man press his hands against the armrests to raise himself to his feet. He lounged against the pillows as the blond cautiously walked around the coffee table to sit on the other end of the couch, seeing a light blush wash over his cheeks as he patted the spot beside him and teased, "Closer, Allie. I won't bite, I assure you."

He chuckled softly when his beloved's blush darkened before he quietly complied, placing his book on the table and reaching out to hold his hand as his smile softened, "You're such a good boy, Alain. So sweet and obedient... and it's cute how naïve you are."

"I'm not," the blond mumbled, his cheeks flushing as he glanced away, "obedient and sweet and naïve, I-I mean. I try to be good, but... the rest is just normal, isn't it?"

Dionysus chuckled, nodding slightly, "Of course. I was only teasing, angel." He leaned forward, reaching out to tilt Allie's face towards his own, "that being said... please promise me you'll never blindly agree to anything a stranger asks of you, dear. I'd hate to learn that some man had snatched you up because you'd unknowingly agreed to marry him."

"I-I'd never," he stammered back, struggling to meet his gaze, "it's just... I know you would never hurt me, is all. That you have my best interest in mind."

"Of course I do," Dionysus purred, quickly closing the gap between the two of them and chuckling at the blush that burned across the blond's face, reaching out to tuck a lock of hair behind his ear, "my sweet little Allie... whatever did I do to deserve such luck?"

He was being greedy; he knew he was. But hearing his angel speak so openly and honestly stirred something deep inside of him. An unbearable need to touch him, to kiss him. To hold him close as he whispered in his ear, to feel his delicate hands grip at his shirt as he grew increasingly more flustered...

Allie stared up at him with wide eyes, gently fussing with his pendant as he turned his head away and mumbled, "S-stop teasing me Dion, I'm being serious..." He gripped the hem of his sweater with his free hand, heat radiating from his face, "I don't care what it means, I'll be happy to have you as my guardian as long as it doesn't cause any trouble for you."

"It'll be no trouble at all," he agreed, his smile softening as he reached up to tousle his hair. He cupped his cheek, his fingers soon grazing against his jawline, "so long as you behave yourself and keep up appearances it will only ever help me, I assure you."

"I will," he whispered, shivering slightly as Dionysus touched his neck. His pulse pounded beneath his fingers as he brushed them along his skin, his breath soon catching in his throat as he looked away, struggling to compose himself, "I... I promise I'll do my best to repay you and make you proud. I've never really been great at that, but... b-but I'm going to do that for you, Dion, I swear."

It took a moment for him to notice the tears. He'd nearly overlooked them entirely, too absorbed in his own goals. But now he realized just how much pressure Alain felt he would soon have to endure, whether societal or self-imposed.

Alain had told him once that he'd never gotten used to people being affectionate with him and showing him they cared, even as an adult. His father had been distant growing up, rarely praising him and constantly belittling him for the slightest mistakes, and he'd used to believe it was the norm for guardians to behave that way. He could only imagine the anxiety he felt now, imagining that he had to be flawless to earn his praise; Dionysus knew it couldn't be further from the truth, of course, but it was all his angel had ever known.

It may have been too late to fix the damage that his upbringing must have caused, but he was going to do his best to improve his life. It was his job now.

"Please don't cry, my dear. You already have," he replied, gently resting his hand on his shoulder. He studied his reaction for a moment, his smile softening as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders, gently pulling him closer.

He could feel the tension fade from his friend's body as he reached up to hug him in return, his hands shaking faintly as he gripped the fabric of his jacket. He reached up to stroke his hair, hugging the blond tighter when he relaxed against him, "every morning that I watch you greet the day with a smile fills my heart with pride. I promise that I'll always feel that way, Allie."

"I'm glad," Alain whispered, sniffling as he hugged him tighter. He pulled back enough to meet his gaze, smiling slightly, "thank you so much, Dion. I really needed that..."

Dionysus smiled back, giving him a gentle squeeze, "I'll always help you, darling. No matter what, alright?" He fluffed his hair, grinning when the blond nodded, "are you feeling better now? We can stay like this for as long as you need to."

"I'm alright now," he agreed, reaching up to wipe at his eye with his sleeve, "and I'm ready to sign whatever I need to, too." He paused for a moment, blushing and glancing away as he quietly added, "oh, and... if you ever want to hug again, we can. I-I'm not used to it yet, but I'm sure that'll come eventually."

"I might take you up on that," Dionysus murmured, gently wiping the tears from his cheek, "just relax for now, Allie. We'll go over the paperwork once I finish my work for the day."

This was more than he'd dared to hope for, honestly. It was a major breakthrough, one that he'd expected to take far longer than it had. Perhaps he could afford to push it just a bit further, though...

"You know, I should probably order you more clothes," he said, his fingers gently teasing at the collar of Allie's sweater as he held his gaze, "I can't let my darling angel be seen in public in plain sweaters and worn boots."

"Oh, um... okay," the younger man replied, blushing at the nickname, "I'll always wear whatever you give me, Dion."

"Don't say that," he teased, smirking as he reached up to caress his cheek, "I just might buy you something embarrassing and hold you to that, Allie."

"Well... I'd still wear it," he quietly admitted, his gaze briefly meeting his own for a moment before he looked away, "m-maybe not in public, but I'd wear it at home at least once."

  
"I'll commission the lingerie immediately then," he replied, laughing at the look on his companion's face. He reached up to tousle his hair, pulling away to lounge on the couch once more, "I'm only teasing, my dear. But please choose your words more carefully in the future. I worry what may happen if the wrong person finds you and tries to take advantage of your trust."

Alain nodded wordlessly in agreement, reaching up to neaten his hair as he struggled to maintain his composure. His gaze briefly flickered towards his own, a hand moving to fuss with his pendant once more, "I'm sorry, Dion. I'll do everything I can to not make you worry about that."

"Such a good boy," Dionysus purred, smirking as the blond blushed deeply and looked down towards his lap, watching as a shy smile spread across his face. He reached down to give his knee a gentle pat, briefly squeezing it as he watched him, "let's play a game, dear; I'll get the chess set from my room, you sit here and relax, alright?"

Alain gripped the hem of his sweater a bit tighter, looking away and attempting to speak before he silently nodded instead. His blush spread towards his chest as his hand lingered against his bare skin, caressing it with his thumb as the blond stifled a noise and struggled to make eye contact.

He knew it wasn't right to tease him this way, but he just looked so adorable when he was too flustered to speak. A bit too adorable, admittedly; it took every ounce of willpower that he possessed to not lean towards him and steal a kiss before he could react. But he knew that if he pursued him too forcefully, he could risk scaring his angel off and having him no longer trust him. He had to think strategically, to touch him just frequently enough and in just the right ways for him to draw closer of his own will.

After all, it wouldn't be enjoyable if the one he was chasing didn't also want to be pursued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to pick up a bit! The next chapter will be the very first part from Alain's POV, hopefully he'll start to feel more like a fully-realized character and less like a mildly pretty lamp.


End file.
